Armband based systems and methods for controlling welding equipment using gestures and like motions

ABSTRACT

Portable, wearable or integrate-able devices may be used in detecting gestures or motions by operators of welding systems, and performing actions based thereon. The detection may be performed using sensors (e.g., MEMS or muscle sensors), which generate sensory data. The detected gestures or motions may be processed and translated into corresponding actions or commands, which may be handled directly or communicated to other devices in the welding systems. The actions or commands may comprise welding actions/commands, which are configured for controlling a particular component used during welding operations, and/or gesture-related actions/commands, which are configured for controlling gesture-related components and/or operations. Feedback is provided to the operator, such as to acknowledge or validate detection of the gestures, to identify the corresponding action or command, and to complete the identified action or command. The feedback may be non-visual feedback, such as haptic or audio feedback.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) of, and claims priorityfrom U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/502,599, filed Sep. 30, 2014.The above identified application is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Welding is a process that has increasingly become ubiquitous in allindustries. Welding can be performed in automated manner or in manualmanner. In particular, while welding may be automated in certaincontexts, a large number of applications continue to exist where manualwelding operations are used (e.g., where a welding operator uses awelding gun or torch to perform the welding). In either mode (automatedor manual), the success of welding operations relies heavily on properuse of the welding equipment, e.g., success of manual welding depends onproper use of a welding gun or torch by a welding operator. Forinstance, improper torch angle, contact-tip-to-work-distance, travelspeed, and aim are parameters that may dictate the quality of a weld.Even experienced welding operators, however, often have difficulty weldmonitoring and maintaining these important parameters throughout weldingprocesses.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Various implementations of the present disclosure are directed toarmband based systems and methods for controlling welding equipmentusing gestures and like motions, substantially as illustrated by ordescribed in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forthmore completely in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example arc welding system in accordance with aspects ofthis disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows example welding equipment in accordance with aspects ofthis disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example use of a motiondetection system operating within a welding system, in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example motion detectionsystem, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example gesture accessorydevice that may be used in conjunction with motion detection systems,communicating therewith wirelessly, in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for communicating awelding command to a welding system from a motion detection system, inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for associating awelding command with a particular gesture or motion, in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows an example gesture-based armband device for use in remotelycontrolling welding operations, in accordance with aspects of thisdisclosure.

FIG. 9 shows example circuitry of a gesture-based armband device for usein remotely controlling welding operations, in accordance with aspectsof this disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for providingfeedback during gesture-based remote control of welding operations, inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an example arc welding system in accordance with aspects ofthis disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an example weldingsystem 10 in which an operator 18 is wearing welding headwear 20 andwelding a workpiece 24 using a torch 504 to which power is delivered byequipment 12 via a conduit 14, with weld monitoring equipment 28 beingavailable for use to monitor welding operations. The equipment 12 maycomprise a power source, optionally a source of an inert shield gas and,where wire/filler material is to be provided automatically, a wirefeeder.

The welding system 10 of FIG. 1 may be configured to form a weld joint512 by any known technique, including electric welding techniques suchshielded metal arc welding (i.e., stick welding), metal inert gaswelding (MIG), tungsten inert gas welding (TIG), and resistance welding.

Optionally in any embodiment, the welding equipment 12 may be arcwelding equipment that provides a direct current (DC) or alternatingcurrent (AC) to a consumable or non-consumable electrode 16 (bettershown, for example, in FIG. 5C) of a torch 504. The electrode 16delivers the current to the point of welding on the workpiece 24. In thewelding system 10, the operator 18 controls the location and operationof the electrode 16 by manipulating the torch 504 and triggering thestarting and stopping of the current flow. When current is flowing, anarc 26 is developed between the electrode and the workpiece 24. Theconduit 14 and the electrode 16 thus deliver current and voltagesufficient to create the electric arc 26 between the electrode 16 andthe workpiece. The arc 26 locally melts the workpiece 24 and weldingwire or rod supplied to the weld joint 512 (the electrode 16 in the caseof a consumable electrode or a separate wire or rod in the case of anon-consumable electrode) at the point of welding between electrode 16and the workpiece 24, thereby forming a weld joint 512 when the metalcools.

Optionally in any embodiment, the weld monitoring equipment 28 may beused to monitor welding operations. The weld monitoring equipment 28 maybe used to monitor various aspects of welding operations, particularlyin real-time (that is as welding is taking place). For example, the weldmonitoring equipment 28 may be operable to monitor arc characteristicssuch as length, current, voltage, frequency, variation, and instability.Data obtained from the weld monitoring may be used (e.g., by theoperator 18 and/or by an automated quality control system) to ensureproper welding.

As shown, and described more fully below, the equipment 12 and headwear20 may communicate via a link 25 via which the headwear 20 may controlsettings of the equipment 12 and/or the equipment 12 may provideinformation about its settings to the headwear 20. Although a wirelesslink is shown, the link may be wireless, wired, or optical.

In some instances, the operator (e.g., operator 18) may need to interactwith equipment used in welding operations and/or in weld monitoring ofwelding operations. For example, the operator 18 may need to interactwith the welding equipment 12 and/or with the weld monitoring equipment28, such as to control the equipment (e.g., adjust settings of theequipment), to obtain real-time feedback information (e.g., real-timeequipment status, weld monitoring related information, etc.), and thelike. In some use situations, however, the welding environment mayimpose certain limitations on possible solutions for interacting withthe equipment used in conjunction with welding operations. For example,welding environments may be cluttered (e.g., with many equipment, cordsor connectors, etc.), and/or may have spatial limitations (e.g., tightwork space, awkward position or placement of workpieces, etc.). As aresult, adding more devices into such environments to enable interactingwith the welding or weld monitoring equipment may be undesirable,particularly when adding devices that require wired connectors. Use ofsuch systems or devices, particularly ones that take too much space, mayresult in additional undesirable clutter and/or may take up valuableweld cell space. Further, use of wired connections or connectors (e.g.,cords) may limit use distance for such devices (e.g., from powersources, from equipment that operator is trying to interact with, etc.),and may create safety problems (e.g., trip hazards).

Accordingly, in various embodiments in accordance with the presentdisclosure, small control devices, configured to utilize non-wired basedsolutions (e.g., wireless communication technologies; audio, video,and/or sensory input/output (I/O) solutions, etc.) may be used. Forexample, control devices implemented in accordance with the presentdisclosure may be small enough such that they can be worn by theoperator, or integrated into equipment or clothing that the operatordirectly uses or wears during welding operations (e.g., welding helmets,welding gloves, etc.). For example, the devices may be small enough thatthey can be worn by the operator on or in a belt, an arm, a weldinghelmet, or welding gloves. Further, such control devices may beconfigured to support and use wireless technologies (e.g., WiFi orBluetooth) to perform the communications necessary for the interfacingoperations.

In certain embodiments, the control devices may use or support motiondetection and recognition, to enable detecting and recognizing gesturesor motions of operators. In particular, such control devices may beconfigured or programmed to recognize particular gestures by theoperator, which the operator may perform when attempting to remotelyinteract with a particular piece of equipment in the welding environment(e.g., to remotely control that piece of equipment or to obtain datatherefrom). In some instances these gestures may mimic the actions thatthe operator would perform when directly interacting with equipment. Forexample, the gesture or motion may comprise the operator mimicking theturning of a volume control knob, which when detected and interpreted assuch may be communicated to the corresponding equipment to trigger aresponse by the equipment, as if the knob actually existed. This couldremove the requirement for actual, physical interface, but still providethe desired control capability. The control devices may be implementedsuch that they may be affixed to a particular part of the operator'sbody or clothing worn by the operator. An example embodiment maycomprise an elastic-like, and/or form-fitting arm band(s), such that itmay be affixed to one of the operator's arms.

The motion detection and recognition may be performed using anysolutions suitable for use in conjunction with welding arrangements inaccordance with the present disclosure. Such solutions may comprise, forexample, devices or components worn by the operator or integrated intoequipment or clothing that the operator directly uses or wears duringwelding operations. For example, a detection component, which may beimplemented as stand-alone device or as built-in component (e.g., of acontrol device), may be configured to detect gestures or motions of theoperator. Further, a motion recognition component, which may beimplemented as stand-along device or as built-in component (e.g., of acontrol device), may be configured to receive the detected gestures ormotions, and to determine when/if detected gestures or motionscorrespond to particular user input (e.g., command). This may be done bycomparing the detected gestures or motions against a pre-definedplurality of welding commands, each of which is associated with aparticular gesture or motion. Thus, the motion recognition componentidentifies the welding command from the plurality of welding commandsbased on successful matching of the detected gesture or motion with agesture or motion associated with a welding command, and transmits theidentified welding command to a component of the welding system.

The motion detection and recognition function may be configurable and/orprogrammable. For example, in addition to normal mode of operation,where the motion recognition component is simply used to identify andtrigger particular welding commands based on detected gestures ormovement, the motion recognition component may also operate in“configuration” or “programing” mode. When operating in suchconfiguration (or programing) mode the motion recognition component mayreceive one or more detected gestures or motions as well as a weldingrelated command (e.g., provided by the operator using suitable means),and may associate the welding-related command with at least one of thedetected gestures or motions, and stores the association for futurecomparison.

FIG. 2 shows example welding equipment in accordance with aspects ofthis disclosure. The equipment 12 of FIG. 2 comprises an antenna 202, acommunication port 204, communication interface circuitry 206, userinterface module 208, control circuitry 210, power supply circuitry 212,wire feeder module 214, and gas supply module 216.

The antenna 202 may be any type of antenna suited for the frequencies,power levels, etc. used by the communication link 25.

The communication port 204 may comprise, for example, an Ethernet overtwisted pair port, a USB port, an HDMI port, a passive optical network(PON) port, and/or any other suitable port for interfacing with a wiredor optical cable.

The communication interface circuitry 206 is operable to interface thecontrol circuitry 210 to the antenna 202 and/or port 204 for transmitand receive operations. For transmit, the communication interface 206may receive data from the control circuitry 210 and packetize the dataand convert the data to physical layer signals in accordance withprotocols in use on the communication link 25. For receive, thecommunication interface may receive physical layer signals via theantenna 202 or port 204, recover data from the received physical layersignals (demodulate, decode, etc.), and provide the data to controlcircuitry 210.

The user interface module 208 may comprise electromechanical interfacecomponents (e.g., screen, speakers, microphone, buttons, touchscreen,etc.) and associated drive circuitry. The user interface 208 maygenerate electrical signals in response to user input (e.g., screentouches, button presses, voice commands, etc.). Driver circuitry of theuser interface module 208 may condition (e.g., amplify, digitize, etc.)the signals and them to the control circuitry 210. The user interface208 may generate audible, visual, and/or tactile output (e.g., viaspeakers, a display, and/or motors/actuators/servos/etc.) in response tosignals from the control circuitry 210.

The control circuitry 210 comprises circuitry (e.g., a microcontrollerand memory) operable to process data from the communication interface206, the user interface 208, the power supply 212, the wire feeder 214,and/or the gas supply 216; and to output data and/or control signals tothe communication interface 206, the user interface 208, the powersupply 212, the wire feeder 214, and/or the gas supply 216.

The power supply circuitry 212 comprises circuitry for generating powerto be delivered to a welding electrode via conduit 14. The power supplycircuitry 212 may comprise, for example, one or more voltage regulators,current regulators, inverters, and/or the like. The voltage and/orcurrent output by the power supply circuitry 212 may be controlled by acontrol signal from the control circuitry 210. The power supplycircuitry 212 may also comprise circuitry for reporting the presentcurrent and/or voltage to the control circuitry 210. In an exampleimplementation, the power supply circuitry 212 may comprise circuitryfor measuring the voltage and/or current on the conduit 14 (at either orboth ends of the conduit 14) such that reported voltage and/or currentis actual and not simply an expected value based on calibration.

The wire feeder module 214 is configured to deliver a consumable wireelectrode 16 to the weld joint 512. The wire feeder 214 may comprise,for example, a spool for holding the wire, an actuator for pulling wireoff the spool to deliver to the weld joint 512, and circuitry forcontrolling the rate at which the actuator delivers the wire. Theactuator may be controlled based on a control signal from the controlcircuitry 210. The wire feeder module 214 may also comprise circuitryfor reporting the present wire speed and/or amount of wire remaining tothe control circuitry 210. In an example implementation, the wire feedermodule 214 may comprise circuitry and/or mechanical components formeasuring the wire speed, such that reported speed is actual value andnot simply an expected value based on calibration.

The gas supply module 216 is configured to provide shielding gas viaconduit 14 for use during the welding process. The gas supply module 216may comprise an electrically controlled valve for controlling the rateof gas flow. The valve may be controlled by a control signal fromcontrol circuitry 210 (which may be routed through the wire feeder 214or come directly from the control 210 as indicated by the dashed line).The gas supply module 216 may also comprise circuitry for reporting thepresent gas flow rate to the control circuitry 210. In an exampleimplementation, the gas supply module 216 may comprise circuitry and/ormechanical components for measuring the gas flow rate such that reportedflow rate is actual and not simply an expected value based oncalibration.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example use of a motiondetection system operating within a welding system, in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure. Shown in FIG. 3 is a gesture-basedwelding arrangement 310, implemented in accordance with an exampleembodiment, comprising a welding system 312 and a motion detectionsystem 314.

The motion detection system 314 may comprise detection circuitry 316, amotion recognition system 318, and communications circuitry 320. Incertain embodiments, the detection circuitry 316 may comprise anaccessory device 322 (e.g., sensors, accelerometers, computing devices,tags, etc. which may be incorporated into a worn device or clothingarticle) which may be remote from the motion detection system 314, suchas disposed on or near a welding operator 324, but may communicate withthe motion detection system 314 via wired or wireless systems. As notedabove, the motion detected by the motion detection system 314 istranslated into one or more command signals that the welding system 312utilizes to change a welding operating parameter.

The detection circuitry 316 (e.g., sensor system) may comprise one ormore cameras or a sensor system that may detect gestures and/ormovements of the welding operator 324. It should be noted that in somesituations, the detection circuitry 316 may comprise the accessorydevice 322. Further, the detection circuitry 316 may be configured todetect the motion of the accessory device 322. For example, thedetection circuitry 316 may capture the movement of a sensor disposedwithin the accessory device 322. In other situations, the detectioncircuitry 316 directly detects the gestures and/or movements of thewelding operator 324 without the intermediary accessory device 322. Forexample, the detection circuitry 316 may identify the welding operatorand capture the movements of the welding operator (e.g., movement of thewelding operator's joints, appendages, etc.). Further, in somesituations, the detection circuitry 316 receives motion information fromthe accessory device 322, which is used to detect the gestures and/ormovements of the welding operator 324. For example, the accessory device322 may detect the movements of the welding operator, such as a blinkingof the eye or a pinching of the fingers, and may process and communicatethe detected movements to the motion detection system 314.

Accordingly, the detection circuitry 316 may incorporate various typesof audio/video detection technologies to enable it to detect thepositions, movements, gestures, and/or motions of the welding operator324. For example, the detection circuitry 316 may comprise digitalcameras, video cameras, infrared sensors, optical sensors (e.g.,video/camera), radio frequency energy detectors, sound sensors,vibration sensors, heat sensors, pressure sensors, magnetic sensors, andthe like to detect the positions and/or movements of the weldingoperator 324 and/or to detect the motion of the accessory device 322.Likewise, any of these audio/video detection technologies may also beincorporated into the accessory device 322.

In certain embodiments, the cameras (e.g., digital, video, etc.) may beincorporated with motion-detection components that are triggered bymotion, heat, or vibration, and that may be used to detect the motion ofthe welding operator 324 or the accessory device 322. In certainembodiments, infrared sensors may be utilized to measure infrared lightradiating from the welding operator 324 or the accessory device 322 todetermine or detect gestures or motions. Further, other types of sensors(e.g., heat, vibration, pressure, sound, magnetic, etc.) may be utilizedto detect heat, vibrations, pressures, sounds, or a combination thereofto determine or detect gestures or motions of the welding operator 324or the accessory device 322. It should be noted that in certainembodiments, a plurality of sensors may be positioned in a variety oflocations (on or disposed remote from the motion detection system 314)to determine these parameters, and thereby the motion of the weldingoperator 324 or the accessory device 322, with greater accuracy.Further, it should be noted that one or more different types of sensorsmay be incorporated into the detection circuitry 316. For example, aheat sensor may be configured to detect motion of the welding operator324 or the accessory device 322. In certain embodiments, radio frequencyenergy sensors may be utilized to detect the motion of the weldingoperator 324 or the accessory device 322 via radar, microwave, ortomographic motion detection.

The detected positions, gestures, and/or motions received by detectioncircuitry 316 may be input into the motion recognition system 318 whichmay translate the detected motions into various welding commands thatcorrespond to the detected motions. After determining the weldingcommand that corresponds to the detected motions, the motion recognitionsystem 318 may send the welding command to the welding system 312 viathe communications circuitry 320. The welding system 312, or moreparticularly, a component of the welding system 312, may implement thewelding command. For example, the motion recognition system 318 mayreceive a detected motion from the detection circuitry 316 and mayinterpret the detected motion as a command to stop the function of acomponent of the welding system 312. Further, the communicationscircuitry 320 may send a signal to the welding system 312 to stop thecomponent of the welding system 312, as desired by the welding operator324.

The welding system 312 may comprise various components that can receivethe control command signals. The systems and methods described hereinmay be utilized with a gas metal arc welding (GMAW) system, other arcwelding processes (e.g., FCAW, FCAW-G, GTAW (TIG), SAW, SMAW), and/orother welding processes (e.g., friction stir, laser, hybrid). Forexample, in the illustrated embodiment, the welding system 312 maycomprise a welding power source 326, a welding wire feeder 328, awelding torch 330, and a gas supply system 332. However, it should benoted that in other embodiments, various other welding components 334can receive the control command signals from the motion detection system314.

The welding power supply unit 326 generally supplies power to thewelding system 312 and other various accessories, and may be coupled tothe welding wire feeder 328 via a weld cable. The welding power supply326 may also be coupled to a workpiece (not illustrated) using a leadcable having a clamp. In the illustrated embodiment, the welding wirefeeder 328 is coupled to the welding torch 330 via a weld cable in orderto supply welding wire and power to the welding torch 330 duringoperation of the welding system 312. In another embodiment, the weldingpower supply 326 may couple and directly supply power to the weldingtorch 330. The welding power supply 326 may generally comprise powerconversion circuitry that receives input power from an alternatingcurrent power source 454 (e.g., the AC power grid, an engine/generatorset, or a combination thereof), conditions the input power, and providesDC or AC output power. As such, the welding power supply 326 may powerthe welding wire feeder 328 that, in turn, powers the welding torch 330,in accordance with demands of the welding system 312. The illustratedwelding system 312 may comprise a gas supply system 332 that supplies ashielding gas or shielding gas mixtures to the welding torch 330.

During the welding processes, a variety of control devices are oftenprovided to enable an operator to control one or more parameters of thewelding operation. For example, in some welding systems 312, a controlpanel is provided with various knobs and buttons that enable the weldingoperator to alter the amperage, voltage, or any other desirableparameter of the welding process. Indeed, the welding operator maycontrol a wide variety of welding parameters on one or more componentsof the welding system 312 (e.g., voltage output, current output, a wirefeed speed, pulse parameters, etc.). Accordingly, a wide variety ofwelding parameters may be controlled via detected positions, gestures,and/or motions received by detection circuitry 316, and translated intovarious welding commands via the motion recognition system 318.

For example, a welding operator may wish to adjust the speed of the wirefeed from the weld location. Accordingly, the welding operator maygesture a preset motion that the motion detection system 314 willdetect, recognize, and translate into a command for adjusting the wirefeed speed. Further, the welding system 312 receives the command, andimplements the command to adjust the wire feed speed as desired. In somesituations, the operator may implement several successive gestures for aseries of commands that operate the welding system 312 in a desiredmanner. For example, to adjust a voltage output of the welding system312, the operator may first provide a gesture that is associated withthe welding power source 326, and that is indicative of wanting tocontrol a feature of the welding power source 326. Next, the operatormay gesture to increase or decrease the voltage output of the weldingsystem 312. In some situations, the motion detection system 312 maytranslate and store each welding command before communicating the finalwelding command to the welding system 312. In other situations, themotion detection system 312 may communicate each welding commanddirectly to the welding system 312. Further still, in some embodiments,the motion detection system 312 may receive only one welding command,but may interpret the welding command into one or more control signals.Accordingly, one or more successive control signals may be implementedby the welding system 312, where each control signal is one step of thereceived welding command.

As noted above, in certain embodiments, the motion detection system 314is coupled to a cloud network 336 having a storage 338 that may comprisea library 440 of gestures associated with a particular welding commandand/or a type of welding command. In particular, the motion recognitionsystem 318 may utilize the cloud 336 to determine one or more weldingcommands based on motion detected by the detection circuitry 316. Thecloud 336 may refer to various evolving arrangements, infrastructure,networks, and the like that are typically based upon the Internet. Theterm may refer to any type of cloud, including a client clouds,application clouds, platform clouds, infrastructure clouds, serverclouds, and so forth. As will be appreciated by those skilled in theart, such arrangements will generally allow for a various number ofentities to receive and store data related to welding applications,transmit data to welders and entities in the welding community forwelding applications, provide software as a service (SaaS), providevarious aspects of computing platforms as a service (PaaS), providevarious network infrastructures as a service (IaaS) and so forth.Moreover, included in this term should be various types and businessarrangements for these products and services, including public clouds,community clouds, hybrid clouds, and private clouds. In particular, thecloud 336 may be a shared resource accessible to various number ofwelding entities, and each welding entity (e.g., operator, group ofoperators, company, welding location, facility, etc.) may contributewelding gestures associated with welding commands, which may be utilizedby the motion recognition system 318 at a later time.

In an example embodiment, multiple motion detection components orelements may be used to enhance motion detection and/or interfacingbased thereon. For example, with reference to the welding arrangement310 depicted in FIG. 3, rather than using only a single accessory device322, multiple accessory devices 322 may be used. Where the accessorydevice 322 is an armband based device, for example, the operator maywear an accessory device 322 on each arm. The use of multiple motiondetection devices (or elements) may allow detecting (and thusrecognizing based thereon) more complex gestures or movements (e.g.,complex three-dimensional (3D) gestures or movements). The use ofmultiple motion detection devices (or elements) may also allow theoperator to provide the gesture-based input using any of the availabledevices, thus enabling the operator more freedom with respect to how toperform the welding. For example, when wearing an armband-baseddetection device on each arm the operator may switch welding equipment(e.g., torch) between hands still have a free arm/hand to continueinterfacing (e.g., controlling selected parameters) without having tomove the sensor band between wrists. Further, the motion detectiondevice (or element) may be configured to accommodate such flexibleoperation, e.g., being operable to recognize which arm the operator iswearing the device on, such as based on the execution of a particulargesture that indicate whether the device is actively being used (or not)in providing gesture-based input.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example motion detectionsystem, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Shown inFIG. 4 is the motion detection system 314, which may comprise thedetection circuitry 316, the motion recognition system 318, and thecommunications circuitry 320.

As noted above, the detection circuitry 316 may comprise may incorporatevarious types of audio/video detection technologies to enable it todetect the positions, movements, gestures, and/or motions of the weldingoperator 324 and/or the accessory device 322. Further, thecommunications circuitry 320 enables wired or wireless communicationsbetween the motion detection system 314 and the cloud 336, the weldingsystem 312, and/or the accessory device 322. The motion detection system314 also may comprise a memory 441, a processor 442, a storage medium444, input/output (I/O) ports 446, and the like. The processor 442 maybe any type of computer processor or microprocessor capable of executingcomputer-executable code. The memory 441 and the storage 444 may be anysuitable articles of manufacture that can serve as media to storeprocessor-executable code, data, or the like. These articles ofmanufacture may represent computer-readable media (i.e., any suitableform of memory or storage) that may store the processor-executable codeused by the processor 442 to perform the presently disclosed techniques.

The motion recognition system 318 may receive motion and/or gesture datarelated to the welding operator 324 and/or the accessory device 322 viawired and/or wireless communications. In particular, the motionrecognition system 318 interprets the received data to determine thewelding commands (e.g., welding control signals) for one or morecomponents of the welding system 312. The memory 441 and the storage 444may also be used to store the data, the respective interpretation of thedata, and the welding command that corresponds to the data within thelibrary 440. The illustrated embodiment depicts the storage 444 of themotion recognition system 318 storing information related to the dataand the welding command corresponding to the data (as further describedbelow), but it should be noted that in other embodiments, the memory 441and/or the cloud 336 (as described with respect to FIG. 3) may beutilized to store the same information.

The library 440 may comprise a particular type of motion and/or aparticular motion (e.g., gesture) and a welding command associated withthat motion or type of motion. In some situations, a mode of operationengine 448 within the processor 442 of the motion recognition system 318may be utilized to change the mode of operation of the motionrecognition system 318. The mode of operation engine 448 may be set to,for example, an operating mode or a configuration mode. For example, inthe configuration mode, the motion recognition system 318 is programmedto associate a particular motion or gesture with a particular weldingcommand. As such, the operator 324 may provide an input to the motionrecognition system 318 via the I/O ports 446 indicating a weldingcommand for a particular component of the welding system 312. Thewelding operator 324 may then position himself in a manner that allowsthe detection circuitry 316 to detect the particular motion or gesturesthat the operator 324 intends to be associated with the inputted weldingcommand. In particular, the motion recognition system 318 may store thepattern of motion and/or the gesture collected by the detectioncircuitry 316 within the library 440, and may associate the motion withthe respective welding command.

For example, the operator 324 may provide an input to the motionrecognition system 318 to enter into the configuration mode andassociate a particular motion or gesture with a particular weldingcommand for a particular component of the welding system 312, such asthe welding power source 326. After receiving these inputs, the motionrecognition system 318 may detect the gestures of the operator 324 suchas, for example, holding one arm out straight with a palm out andfigures up, while the operator 324 is in the view window of detectioncircuitry 316. In some embodiments, the operator 324 need not within theview of the detection circuitry 316, but may be wearing the accessorydevice 322 which may comprise one or more sensors (e.g., accelerometers)that tracks the motion of the operator 324 and communicates the motionto the detection circuitry 316. In other embodiments, the detectioncircuitry 316 may be configured to track the movement of the accessorydevice 322 from the motion recognition system 318, and morespecifically, may be tracking the movement of the accessory device 322and/or one or more sensors disposed within the accessory device 322.Once the motion recognition system 318 detects the motion, the motionrecognition system 318 may store the motion and/or gestures as datawithin the gesture library 440. In particular, the data is associatedwith the welding command or task, and may be tagged as such within thestorage 444 and/or memory 441. In this manner, for example, the operator324 may configure an upwards motion of the palm of the hand as angesture associated with increasing the wire speed of the welding system312. In certain embodiments, the motion recognition system 318 may enterand exit the configuration mode by receiving some input from theoperator 324 that does not comprise any detected motion or gesture. Inthis case, the configuration mode may be secure and may not becompromised by any inadvertent motions or gestures.

In certain embodiments, the mode of operation engine of the processor442 of the motion recognition system 318 is set to an operating mode. Inthe operating mode, the welding operator 324 may be performing a weldingtask with the welding system 312, and may have the motion detectionsystem 314 enabled. During the welding process, the operator 324 maywish to adjust a welding parameter via one or more gestures or motion.Accordingly, the detection circuitry 316 receives the gesture and/ormotion in one of the methods described above, and the welding command isre-tried from the library 440 based on the detected gestures and/ormotions of the operator 324 (or the accessory device 322). For example,if the motion recognition system 318 detects that the operator 324 ismoving the palm of her hand in an upwards motion, the motion recognitionsystem 318 may compare the detected motion to the motions or patterns ofmotion stored in the library 440 and determine that the motioncorresponds to increasing the wire speed of the welding system 312.

In an example embodiment, the motion detection system 314 may supportgestures for disabling (and/or enabling) gesture-based functions. Forexample, the library 440 may comprise an association between particulargesture (or movement) and a command for disabling the motion detectionsystem 314, and the mode of operation engine 448 may support anon-operating mode. As such, when the operator 324 executes theparticular gesture, and the gesture is detected by the accessory device322 and is then recognized by the detection circuitry detectioncircuitry 316, the disabling command may be issued and executed.Disabling the motion detection system 314 may be done by powering offthe system. Further, before the motion detection system 314 is poweredoff, notifications may be generated and communicated to other systemsthat are interacting with the motion detection system 314, such as thewelding system 312, to ensure that the system(s) take necessary steps toaccount for the motion detection system 314 being powered off.

Where the disabling comprises powering off the motion detection system314, (re)enabling the motion detection system 314 may require manuallyor directly (re)powering on the system. In other instances, however,disabling the motion detection system 314 may simply comprise shuttingdown various components and/or functions therein, and transitioning to aminimal-function state, where only functions and/or components requiredfor re-enabling the motion detection system 314 remain running. Thus,when an enabling gesture (which may be the same as the disablinggesture) is detected via the accessory device 322, the gesture maytrigger re-enabling or re-activating the motion detection system 314into full operation mode. Transitioning to such minimum functionalitystates may improve power consumption (as many functions and/orcomponents are shut down or powered off) without affecting the abilityto resume motion detection related operations when needed (and do soquickly). In some implementations, the motion detection system 314(and/or other components or devices used to support the gesture-relatedoperations) may be configured to account for disabling and/ordeactivating the system, by providing other suitable for the(re)enabling of the system. For example, where the detection is opticalbased using optical components or elements (e.g., camera), and theoptical components or elements are disabled as part of the overalldisabling of the detection operations, then the re-enabling may beconfigured or implemented such that it may be triggered by the user bysomething other than visually recognizing gestures. Examples of suchnon-visual means may comprise button/control, sensors that may sense(rather than visually perceive) movement of the user. In other words,such visually-based motion detection systems may be configured tosupplement remote gesture detection with local (on-person) gesturedetection elements for detection re-enabling gestures.

The library 440 may comprise a plurality of motions 452 and acorresponding welding command 454 for each motion. The welding commandsmay include any command to control the welding system 312, and/orcomponents of the welding system 312, such as the welding power source326, the gas supply system 332, the welding wire feeder 328, the weldingtorch 330, or other welding components 334 (e.g., grinders, lights,etc.) of the welding system 312. As such, the welding commands mayinclude, but are not limited to, starting a device, stopping a device,increasing a speed or output of a device, decreasing a speed or outputof a device, and the like. For example, welding commands related to thegas supply system 332 may include adjusting a gas flow rate. Likewise,welding commands related to the welding wired feeder 328 may includeadjusting a welding wire speed, changing between push/pull feedingsystem, and the like. Further, welding commands related to the weldingpower source 326 may include varying a voltage or power routed to thewelding torch 330. Moreover, the library 440 may include other commandsassociated with various motions such as disabling the motion recognitionsystem 318, limiting the control or ability of an operator to engagewith the motion recognition system 318, or the like.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example gesture accessorydevice that may be used in conjunction with motion detection systems,communicating therewith wirelessly, in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure. Shown in FIG. 5 is the motion detection system 314being operatively coupled to the accessory device 322 in accordance withan example embodiment. In this regard, in various embodiments theaccessory device 322 may be in wired or wireless communication with themotion detection system 314.

In some embodiments, the detection circuitry 316 may comprise theaccessory device 322. Further, the detection circuitry 316 may beconfigured to directly track the movement of the accessory device 322and/or one or more sensors disposed within the accessory device 322 fromthe motion detection system 314. Specifically, the accessory device 322may comprise sensors 556 (e.g., infrared, optical, sound, magnetic,vibration, etc.), accelerometers, computing devices, smart phones,tablets, GPS devices, wireless sensor tags, one or cameras, or the likethat are configured to aid the detection circuitry 316 in detecting themotion and/or gestures of the operator 324. In some situations, theaccessory device 322 may be incorporated into a clothing article that isworn, disposed, or carried by the operator 324 (e.g., bracelet,wristlet, anklet, necklace, etc.), or may be a device that is held bythe operator 324.

In some situations, the sensor systems 556 are configured to gathergesture and/or motion data from the operator 324, similar in manner tothe detection circuitry 316. The motion and/or gesture data gathered maybe digitized via one or more processors within processing circuitry 558,which may also be associated with a memory 560. The processing circuitry558 may be any type of computer processor or microprocessor capable ofexecuting computer-executable code. The memory 560 may be any suitablearticles of manufacture that can serve as media to storeprocessor-executable code, data, or the like. These articles ofmanufacture may represent computer-readable media (i.e., any suitableform of memory or storage) that may store the processor-executable codeused by the processing circuitry to perform the presently disclosedtechniques. Further, the digitized data may be communicated via wiredand/or wireless communications circuitry 562 to the motion detectionsystem 314. As noted above, the motion recognition system 318 interpretsthe received data to determine the welding commands (e.g., weldingcontrol signals) for one or more components of the welding system 312,and transfers the welding commands to the welding system 312 via thecommunications circuitry 320 of the motion detection system 314. Itshould be noted that the communications between the components of thegesture-based welding arrangement 310 might be over secure channels.

In some embodiments, the communications circuitry 562 of the gestureaccessory device 322 also communicates with the welding system 312. Forexample, the gesture accessory device 322 may be paired with the weldingdevice 322 before welding operations are commenced, to ensure that thegestures provided by the operator 324 are securely intended for thepaired devices. In this manner, though a plurality of gesture accessorydevices 322 are proximate to the welding system 312, only the paireddevice 322 is able to provide gesture commands to the welding system 312via the motion detection system 314.

Further, in some embodiments, the accessory device 322 may comprise I/Oports 564 that may enable the operator 324 to provide inputs to themotion detection system 314. The inputs may comprise methods to pair theaccessory device 322 with the welding system 312 and/or the motiondetection system 314, and may also be utilized by the operator 324 toinput identification information and/or welding related information. Insome embodiments, the accessory device 322 may comprise a display 566that enables an operator 324 to visualize the welding commands sent bythe motion detection system 314 to the welding system 312. Further, thedisplay 566 may be utilized to receive and display various weldingrelated information from the welding system 312, such the status of thecurrent operating parameters, the status of welding commands (e.g.,control signals) sent to the welding system 312, the status of awireless connection, whether or not the welding commands wereimplemented, error or alerts, or generally any information related tothe gesture-based welding arrangement 310.

In some embodiments, non-visual feedback may be used duringgesture-based interactions (e.g., control) of welding operations toallow for feedback to the operator in non-visual manner, e.g., withoutrequiring the operator to use the display or similar visual interfaceswhich would result in the operator taking his/her eyes off theworkpiece(s) being welded. For example, the accessory device 322 may beconfigured to provide feedback to the operator with respect togesture-based interaction (e.g., control) of welding operations usingnon-visual means such as audio (e.g., buzzer), haptic (e.g., vibration),or similar output. The feedback may, for example, acknowledge receipt ofa particular gesture. For example, two long vibrations may indicaterecognition of a “increase amperage” gesture, and one short vibrationmay indicate recognition of a “decrease amperage” gesture. The systemmay then, for example, wait for a second confirmatory gesture beforeputting the recognized gesture into effect.

Use of non-visual feedback may be particularly desirable where use of adisplay or visual output may be neither practical nor desirable (e.g.,for safety reasons), or to obviate the need for any such displayaltogether. In armband-based implementations, for example, supportingnon-visual feedback may allow wearing accessory device 322 in mannerwhich would not be possible where feedback is provided visually, e.g.,it may be worn underneath a welding jacket and thus be protected fromthe welding environment. Further, the use of non-visual feedback may bemore desirable in welding operations as operators may not be able toclearly see visual feedback since the operator would be wearingspecialized helmets/hoods and/or be looking at the display and trying toread the visual feedback through special welding lenses or glasses.

With non-visual feedback, characteristics of the utilized non-visualoutput may be adjusted to provide different feedback. For example, withvibration-based feedback, the vibration may be adjusted (e.g., in termin one or more of duration, frequency, and intensity of the vibration)to indicate different feedback. In some instances, characteristics ofthe non-visual output may be configured and/or adjusted by the operatorto indicate particular feedback. For example, when implemented toprovide non-visual feedback, I/O ports 564 of the accessory device 322may be used to specify particular type of non-visual feedback (e.g.,audio or vibration), and/or to specify particular characteristics (e.g.,duration, frequency, and intensity of vibration) for each particulardesired feedback.

While the accessory device 322 and the motion detection system 314 areillustrated and described as two separate elements in FIGS. 3-5, thedisclosure need not be so limited. Accordingly, in an exampleembodiment, the accessory device 322 and the motion detection system 314(and functions of them) may be combined into a single device, which maypreferably be configured or designed for portable use in the same mannerdescribed with respect to the accessory device 322. As such, this singledevice would be operable to perform the functions of the accessorydevice 322 (e.g., gesture detection, sensory, input/output) as well asthe function of the motion detection system 314 (e.g., motionrecognition, command determination, command association, etc.).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for communicating awelding command to a welding system from a motion detection system inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Shown in FIG. 6 is aflow chart of a method 600, comprising a plurality of example steps(represented as blocks 602-608), for communicating a welding command tothe welding system 312 from the motion detection system 314 of FIG. 3 inaccordance with an example embodiment.

The method 600 may be used in enabling an operating mode of the motiondetection system 314 on the mode of operation engine 448 via the I/Oports 446 (step 602). In this manner, the motion detection system 314may be configured to detect a motion and/or gesture and utilize thegesture library 440 to translate the detected motion and/or gesture intoa welding command.

For example, the method 600 may comprise detecting the gesture and/ormotion (step 604). As noted above, the detection circuitry 316 maycomprise may incorporate various types of audio/video detectiontechnologies to enable it to detect the positions, movements, gestures,and/or motions of the welding operator 324 and/or the accessory device322. Further, the method 600 may comprise determining a welding commandthat is associated with the detected motion and/or gesture (step 606).For example, the motion recognition system 318 interprets the receiveddata to determine the welding commands (e.g., welding control signals)for one or more components of the welding system 312. The weldingcommand may be determined by comparing the received data with datawithin the gesture library 440.

In addition, the method 600 may comprise communicating the weldingcommand to the welding system 312 (step 608). The welding commands maycomprise any command to control the welding system 312, and/orcomponents of the welding system 312, such as the welding power source326, the gas supply system 332, the welding wire feeder 328, the weldingtorch 330, or other welding components 334 of the welding system 312. Inthis manner, the gesture and/or motion provided by the operator 324and/or the accessory device 322 may be utilized to control one or morewelding parameters of the welding system 312.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for associating awelding command with a particular gesture or motion in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure. Shown in FIG. 7 is a flow chart of amethod 700, comprising a plurality of example steps (represented asblocks 702-708) for associating a particular welding command with aparticular gesture and/or motion in accordance with an exampleembodiment.

As noted above, the motion detection system 314 may be configured in anoperating mode to detect a motion and/or gesture and utilize the gesturelibrary 440 to translate the detected motion and/or gesture into awelding command. The illustrated method 700 includes enabling aconfiguration mode (e.g., learning, pairing, association, etc.) of themotion detection system 314 on the mode of operation engine 448 via theI/O ports 446 (step 702). In this manner, the motion detection system314 may be configured to associate and store within the memory 441and/or the storage 444 a particular motion or gesture with a particularwelding command.

In addition, the method 700 may comprise the motion detection system 314receiving a welding command that the operator 324 wishes to set agesture and/or motion for via the I/O ports 446 (step 704). The weldingcommand may be for any component of the welding system 312, as discussedabove. The welding operator 324 may then position himself in a mannerthat allows the detection circuitry 316 of the motion detection system318 to detect the particular motion or gestures that the operator 324intends to be associated with the inputted welding command (step 706).Further, the method 700 may comprise the motion recognition system 318storing the motion and/or the gesture collected by the detectioncircuitry 316 within the library 440, and associating the motion withthe respective welding command (step 708). It should be noted that suchassociations may be made and stored within the library 440 of the cloudnetwork 336, and retrieved by the local systems as desired. In somesituations, the pre-associated global welding commands may beoverwritten with local welding commands that are more personal to thewelding operator 324.

FIG. 8 shows an example gesture-based armband device for use in remotelycontrolling welding operations in accordance with aspects of thisdisclosure. Shown in FIG. 8 is a gesture-based control device 800 thatis worn by an operator (e.g., operator 18) during welding operations.

The gesture-based control device 800 may comprise suitable circuitryoperable to support interacting with and controlling equipment used inwelding operations and/or monitoring of welding operations. Thegesture-based control device 800 may be configured such that it may beaffixed to an operator (e.g., operator 18), and/or to an item worn by ordirectly handled by the operator (e.g., welding helmet, welding glove,welding torch, etc.). In the particular embodiment depicted in FIG. 8,the gesture-based control device 800 may be configured as anarmband-based implementation. The gesture-based control device 800 maybe operable to receive operator input, which is specifically provided inthe form of gestures and/or movement. In this regard, the gesture-basedcontrol device 800 may be operable to detect gestures and/or motions bythe operator, and then process the detected gestures and/or motions. Theprocessing may comprise determining whether (or not) the detectedgestures and/or motions correspond to particular command (or action(s)).For example, as described in more detail above (e.g., with respect toFIGS. 3-7), particular gestures and/or motions may be associated withspecific welding commands, or with actions that may be performed orhandled directly by the device itself (e.g., generating new associationsfor detected gestures and/or motions, disabling/(re-)enablinggesture/motion related components or operations, etc.). An exampledetailed embodiment of the components and circuitry of the device 800 isdescribed in FIG. 9.

The gesture-based control device 800 may be configured to communicatewith other devices or systems, such as when detected gestures or motionsare determined to be associated with particular welding commands. Thegesture-based control device 800 may preferably be operable to performsuch communications wirelessly. In this regard, the gesture-basedcontrol device 800 may be operable to connect to other devices orsystems (e.g., welding and/or weld monitoring equipment) wirelessly,e.g., by setting up and using connections based on suitable wirelesstechnologies, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.

The armband-based gesture-based control device 800 of FIG. 8 comprisesan elastic band 810 (e.g., wrist band), which may allow the operator 18to wear the gesture-based control device 800 on his/her arm (as shown inthe top part of FIG. 8). In some instances, rather than thegesture-based control device 800 having a built-in band, a dedicatedarmband arrangement may be used instead. Such armband arrangement maycomprise the band 810 and a holder 820 to which the gesture-basedcontrol device 800 may be attached. For example, the holder 820 maycomprise suitable securing means (e.g., a clip), configured to securethe device 800 into the armband arrangement. Nonetheless, the disclosureis not so limited, and other approaches (and corresponding arrangements)may be used for wearing control devices by operators, or integratingthem into clothing or equipment used or worn by the operators.

The gesture-based control device 800 may be configured to supportnon-visual based feedback. For example, the gesture-based control device800 may be operable to support tactile feedback, such as vibration, oraudio feedback. In this regard, the gesture-based control device 800 maycomprise vibration and/or audio components, which may generatevibrations and/or audio signals as means of providing feedback. Thevibration component may be operable to vary the frequency, amplitude,and duration of vibrations to provide different feedback, e.g.,indicating recognition of certain gestures or validating that acorresponding action has taken place. This feedback would be detectibleby the operator since the device is in intimate contact with theoperator's arm. Similarly, the audio component (e.g., audio transducer)may provide feedback, e.g., by providing particular audio outputs (e.g.,a particular one of a plurality of pre-defined ring tones, similar tothe ones typically used in phones) with each being uniquely indicativeof certain feedback.

The gesture-based control device 800 may be a dedicated device that isdesigned and implemented specifically for use in interacting with andcontrolling welding components (e.g., welding and/or weld monitoringequipment). In some example implementations, however, devices which maynot be specifically designed or made as a “control device” may benonetheless configured for use as such. In this regard, devices havingcapabilities and/or characteristics that may be necessary forfunctioning as a control device, in the manner described in the presentdisclosure, may be used. For example, devices that may be used includethose having (1) suitable communicative capabilities (e.g., wirelesstechnologies such as WiFi, Bluetooth, or the like), (2) suitableresources for detecting gestures and/or motions interactions (e.g.,sensors), (3) suitable processing capabilities for processing andanalyzing detected motions or gestures, or (4) suitable resources forproviding feedback (e.g., keypads, buttons, textual interface, ortouchscreens) that are also sufficiently small and/or light to beconveniently worn by the operator and/or integrated into the items wornor directly used by the operator. Also, devices such as smartphones,smartwatches, and the like may be used as “control devices.” In thisregard, the interfacing functions may be implemented in software (e.g.,applications), which may run or be executed by the existing hardwarecomponents of these devices.

FIG. 9 shows example circuitry of a gesture-based armband device for usein remotely controlling welding operations in accordance with aspects ofthis disclosure. Shown in FIG. 9 is circuitry of an examplegesture-based control device 900. The gesture-based control device 900may correspond to the device 800 of FIG. 8.

As shown in FIG. 9, the gesture-based control device 900 may comprise amain controller (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)) circuitry 910, acommunication interface circuitry 920, an audio controller circuitry930, a haptic controller circuitry 940, and a sensor controller 950.

The main controller circuitry 910 is operable to process data, executeparticular tasks or functions, and/or control operations of othercomponents in the device 900. For example, the main controller circuitry910 may receive sensory data from the sensor controller circuitry 950,which may correspond to gestures or movement by the operator wearing thedevice 900. The main controller circuitry 910 may process such sensorydata by, for example, applying pre-programmed gesture recognitionalgorithms (and/or using pre-stored information, such as a gesture basedlibrary) to discern if the sensory data indicates a gesture or motionbelonging to a set of trained gestures. If the gesture belongs to a setof trained gestures, the main controller circuitry 910 may identify theassociated control actions. The main controller circuitry 910 may thencontrol other components of the device in response to any identifiedactions or commands. For example, where a particular welding command isidentified, the main controller circuitry 910 may send data and/orsignals to the communication interface circuitry 920 for transmission ofthe command thereby (e.g., to the appropriate welding or weld monitoringequipment via WiFi or Bluetooth signal 921). The main controllercircuitry 910 may also generate or determine suitable feedback (e.g.,acknowledgment of detection of gestures/motions, validation of detectedgestures/motion, acknowledgment of taking corresponding action, etc.)and may transmit data and/or signals to feedback related components(e.g., audio controller circuitry 930 or haptic controller circuitry940) to effectuate providing the feedback.

The communication interface circuitry 920 is operable to handlecommunications in the gesture-based control device 900. Thecommunication interface circuitry 920 may be configured to supportvarious wired or wireless technologies. The communication interfacecircuitry 920 may be operable to, for example, configure, setup, and/oruse wired and/or wireless connections, such as over suitablewired/wireless interface(s) and in accordance with wireless and/or wiredprotocols or standards supported in the device, to facilitatetransmission and/or reception of signals (e.g., carrying data). Further,the communication interface circuitry 920 may be operable to processtransmitted and/or received signals, in accordance with applicable wiredor wireless technologies. Examples of wireless technologies that may besupported and/or used by the communication interface circuitry 920 maycomprise wireless personal area network (WPAN), such as Bluetooth (IEEE802.15); near field communication (NFC); wireless local area network(WLAN), such as WiFi (IEEE 802.11); cellular technologies, such as2G/2G+(e.g., GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and IS-95 or cdmaOne) and/or 3G/3G+(e.g.,CDMA2000, UMTS, and HSPA); 4G, such as WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) and LTE;Ultra-Wideband (UWB); etc. Examples of wired technologies that may besupported and/or used by the communication interface circuitry 920comprise Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), Universal Serial Bus (USB) basedinterfaces, etc. Examples of signal processing operations that may beperformed by the device 900 comprise, for example, filtering,amplification, analog-to-digital conversion and/or digital-to-analogconversion, up-conversion/down-conversion of baseband signals,encoding/decoding, encryption/decryption, modulation/demodulation, etc.

As shown in the example implementation depicted in FIG. 9, thecommunication interface circuitry 920 may be configured to use anantenna 922 for wireless communications and a port 414 for wiredcommunications. The antenna 922 may be any type of antenna suited forthe frequencies, power levels, etc. required for wirelessinterfaces/protocols supported by the gesture-based control device 900.For example, the antenna 922 may particularly support WiFi and/orBluetooth transmission/reception. The port 924 may be any type ofconnectors suited for the communications over wired interfaces/protocolssupported by the gesture-based control device 900. For example, the port924 may comprise an Ethernet over twisted pair port, a USB port, an HDMIport, a passive optical network (PON) port, and/or any other suitableport for interfacing with a wired or optical cable.

The audio controller circuitry 930 is operable to handle audio inputand/or output (I/O) functions associated with the device 900. Forexample, the audio controller circuitry 930 may be operable to drive oneor more audio I/O elements 932 (e.g., audio transducers, each beingoperable to convert audio signals into electromagnetic signals or viceversa). In this regard, the audio controller circuitry 930 may generateand/or condition (e.g., amplify or, digitize) data corresponding toaudio input or output (signals) in the device 900. For example, withrespect to gesture-related operations in the device 900, the audiocontroller circuitry 930 may be operable to generate data or signalsthat cause an audio transducer to output an audio signal 931, whichrepresents feedback provided to the operator using (e.g., wearing) thedevice 900 during welding operations in response to detection ofgestures or motions by the operators.

The haptic controller circuitry 940 is operable to handle haptic inputand/or output (I/O) functions associated with the device 900. Forexample, the haptic controller circuitry 940 may be operable to driveone or more haptic elements 942 (e.g., a buzzer or vibrationtransducer). In this regard, the haptic controller circuitry 940 maygenerate and/or condition (e.g., amplify or digitize) data correspondingto haptic output (signals) in the device 900. For example, with respectto gesture-related operations in the device 900, the haptic controllercircuitry 940 may be operable to generate data or signals that cause ahaptic element to output a haptic signal 941 (e.g., vibration). Thehaptic signal 941 may provide feedback to the operator using (e.g.,wearing) the device 900 during welding operations. The haptic signal 941may be generated in response to detection of gestures or motions by theoperator.

The sensor controller circuitry 950 is operable to handle sensoryrelated operations of the device 900. For example, the sensor controllercircuitry 950 may be operable to drive or control one or more sensorsthat may be used in obtaining sensory data germane to operations of thedevice 900. Various types of sensors may be handled and/or supported bythe sensor controller circuitry 950.

For example, in some instances muscle sensors 952 may be used. In thisregard, each muscle sensor 952 may comprise a series of segmentedelectrodes arranged such that when the muscle sensor 952 is in contactwith the operator's body (e.g., forearm) the electrodes may detectdifferential electrical impulses of nearby muscles. The sensory dataobtained in this manner (alone or in conjunction with information fromother sensors) may be used to detect and decode gestures made by theoperator using part(s) of the body near the sensor on which the sensorsreside (e.g., the arm, wrist, hand or fingers of the arm on which thesensors reside).

MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) sensors 954 may also be used.They may be embedded directly into the device 900 and/or within otheritems worn or used by the operator (e.g., gloves). These sensors maygenerate sensory data relating to gestures or movements made by theoperator (e.g., using hands, fingers, or wrists). The MEMS sensors 954may comprise gyroscopic-based, accelerometer-based, and/ormagnetic-based sensors. The MEMS sensors 954 may generate sensory data,which may be used (separately or in conjunction with sensory data fromother sensors, such as muscle sensors 952) in detecting and decodinggestures or motions made by the operator.

As an example, where the device 900 is armband-based, the movement ofthe operator's arms may change the orientation of the device 900. Thus,the MEMS sensors 954 may generate sensory data that allows adetermination of the orientation of the device, and changes thereof.Gyroscopic-based sensors, which can easily be used for sensing in thexyz orthogonal Cartesian coordinate system, may be used individually orin combination with other sensors to sense the overall movement anddirection of movement of the entire arm on which the armband resides.The accelerometer-based sensors (particularly when configured for 3Dsensing) may detect the pull of gravity or the gravity vector so theoutputs of these can be used individually or in combination to determinethe orientation of the device on the arm with respect to the generallyaccepted direction of “down” and “up”. They can also be used, directlyor by mathematical integration, to determine the velocity and directionof the arm containing the armband. The magnetic-based sensors, whileperhaps being overwhelmed by the magnetic field in the proximity of thewelding arc, could (when the arc is not in operation) determine thedirection of “magnetic north,” which can be used to direct an operatorto move in a particular direction, perhaps to locate the piece ofequipment being controlled when it is a long distance from the site uponwhich the operator is working.

While the device 900 is described as comprising all the componentsdepicted in FIG. 9, the disclosure is not so limited, and as such someof these components may represent separate dedicated ‘devices’ which aremerely coupled to the other components of the device 900. Further,because of its intended portable use, the device 900, or at least a maincomponent thereof (e.g., a component comprising to at least the maincontroller circuitry 910) may be implemented as a rechargeablebattery-powered platform, comprising the minimally required resources(e.g., processing or memory) to provide or enable the requireddetection, analysis, communication, and/or feedback functions. In someinstances, the device 900 may be operable to log and/or store gestures,and/or gesture attempts (e.g., those that fail to match existingpre-defined gestures), such as to improve gesture recognition throughstatistical training.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for providingfeedback during gesture-based remote control of welding operations inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Shown in FIG. 10 isflow chart of a method 1000, comprising a plurality of example steps(represented as blocks 1002-1010).

In step 1002, gesture and/or motion of an operator may be detected, suchas based on sensory data obtained from sensors placed on or near theoperator (or integrated in item worn or used by the operator).

In step 1004, the detected gesture and/or motion may processed, such asto determine if the gesture and/or motion matches any pre-definedgesture or motion, and whether there are any associated actionscorresponding thereto (e.g., a welding command or the programming of anew association).

In step 1006, it may be determined what feedback (if any) need beprovided to the operator. The feedback may be an acknowledgement (e.g.,that gesture/motion is detected, that action is determined, or thataction is performed), a validation (e.g., requesting operatorconfirmation), and the like.

In step 1008, corresponding output may be generated based on thefeedback. In particular, the output may be configured based on thefeedback itself and the type of the output (e.g., modifyingcharacteristics of output based on particular feedback). For example,with vibration based outputs, characteristics like intensity, frequency,and/or duration may be adjusted to reflect different feedback.

In step 1010, the feedback may be output to the operator.

The present methods and systems may be realized in hardware, software,or a combination of hardware and software. The present methods and/orsystems may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least onecomputing system, or in a distributed fashion where different elementsare spread across several interconnected computing systems. Any kind ofcomputing system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methodsdescribed herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware andsoftware may include a general-purpose computing system with a programor other code that, when being loaded and executed, controls thecomputing system such that it carries out the methods described herein.Another typical implementation may comprise an application specificintegrated circuit or chip. Some implementations may comprise anon-transitory machine-readable (e.g., computer readable) medium (e.g.,FLASH drive, optical disk, magnetic storage disk, or the like) havingstored thereon one or more lines of code executable by a machine,thereby causing the machine to perform processes as described herein.

While the present method and/or system has been described with referenceto certain implementations, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that various changes may be made and equivalents may besubstituted without departing from the scope of the present methodand/or system. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt aparticular situation or material to the teachings of the presentdisclosure without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intendedthat the present method and/or system not be limited to the particularimplementations disclosed, but that the present method and/or systemwill include all implementations falling within the scope of theappended claims.

As utilized herein the terms “circuits” and “circuitry” refer tophysical electronic components (i.e. hardware) and any software and/orfirmware (“code”) which may configure the hardware, be executed by thehardware, and or otherwise be associated with the hardware. As usedherein, for example, a particular processor and memory may comprise afirst “circuit” when executing a first set of one or more lines of codeand may comprise a second “circuit” when executing a second set of oneor more lines of code. As utilized herein, “and/or” means any one ormore of the items in the list joined by “and/or”. As an example, “xand/or y” means any element of the three-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}.In other words, “x and/or y” means “one or both of x and y”. As anotherexample, “x, y, and/or z” means any element of the seven-element set{(x), (y), (z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. In other words, “x,y and/or z” means “one or more of x, y and z”. As utilized herein, theterm “example” means serving as a non-limiting example, instance, orillustration. As utilized herein, the terms “e.g. and for example” setoff lists of one or more non-limiting examples, instances, orillustrations. As utilized herein, circuitry is “operable” to perform afunction whenever the circuitry comprises the necessary hardware andcode (if any is necessary) to perform the function, regardless ofwhether performance of the function is disabled or not enabled (e.g., bya user-configurable setting, factory trim, etc.).

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a detection component thatis configured to detect a motion of an appendage of an operator of awelding system, wherein the detection component comprises one or moreof: a camera, a magnetic sensor, a vibration sensor, a muscle movementsensor, a radio frequency energy detector, a sound sensor, a heatsensor, or a pressure sensor; a gesture library comprising a pluralityof stored motions and a plurality of stored commands, each stored motionof the plurality of stored motions being correlated with a storedcommand of the plurality of stored commands, each stored command beingrelated to controlling a component or operation of the detectioncomponent or the welding system, and at least one stored command of theplurality of stored commands comprising a disable command; processingcircuitry that is configured to determine whether the motion matches astored motion of the plurality of stored motions, in response todetermining the motion does match the stored motion, determine a commandof the plurality of stored commands that is correlated with the storedmotion, and execute the command, wherein execution of the commandcomprises disabling at least some portion or operation of the detectioncomponent when the command is the disable command.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising a feedback component that is configured toprovide output to the operator relating to the detected motions, whereinthe output provided via the feedback component comprises non-visualoutput.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the non-visual outputcomprises audio or haptic output.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein thefeedback component is operable to modify one or more characteristics ofthe non-visual output based on input received from the operator of thewelding system.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the disablingcomprises transitioning to a minimal-function state that is configuredto allow for re-enabling the at least some portions or operations of thedetection component in response to a re-enable request.
 6. The system ofclaim 1, wherein each stored command of the plurality of stored commandsis related to controlling the detection component, a welding powersupply, a welding wire feeder, or a gas supply system.
 7. The system ofclaim 2, further comprising an accessory device that is configured to beworn by the operator of the welding system or is otherwise disposed onthe operator of the welding system, wherein the accessory devicecomprises at least a portion of each of the detection component, theprocessing circuitry, and the feedback component.
 8. The system of claim1, wherein the gesture library is stored within a local memory locationor a global memory location.
 9. The system of claim 4, furthercomprising a first accessory device and a second accessory device, thefirst and second accessory devices being configured to be worn by, orotherwise disposed on, the operator of the welding system, wherein thefirst accessory device and second accessory device comprise at least aportion of one or more of the detection component, the processingcircuitry, or the feedback component, and wherein the input comprisesspecifying characteristics or parameters of the non-visual output viaone or more input/output ports of the first accessory device or secondaccessory device.
 10. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or morecharacteristics comprise one or more of a frequency, a duration, or anamplitude of the non-visual output.
 11. A method comprising: detecting,via a detection component, a motion of an appendage of an operator of awelding system based on sensory data obtained from one or more of: acamera, a magnetic sensor, a vibration sensor, a muscle movement sensor,a radio frequency energy detector, a sound sensor, a heat sensor, or apressure sensor; determining, via processing circuitry, whether themotion matches a stored motion of a plurality of stored motions storedin a gesture library, the gesture library comprising a plurality ofstored motions and a plurality of stored commands, each stored motion ofthe plurality of stored motions being correlated with a stored commandof the plurality of stored commands, each stored command being relatedto controlling a component or operation of the detection component orthe welding system, and at least one stored command of the plurality ofstored commands comprising a disable command; in response to determiningthe motion does match the stored motion, determine a command of theplurality of stored commands that is correlated with the stored motion;sending a command for controlling operation of the welding system basedon the detected motions; and executing the command, wherein executing ofthe command comprises disabling at least some portion or operation ofthe detection component when the command is a disable command.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, further comprising providing, via a feedbackcomponent, output to the operator of the welding system relating to thedetected motions, wherein the provided output comprises non-visualoutput.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the non-visual outputcomprises audio or haptic output.
 14. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising modifying one or more characteristics of the non-visualoutput based on input received from the operator of the welding system,the one or more parameters comprising a frequency, duration, orintensity of the non-visual output.
 15. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising transitioning to a minimal-function state in response to thedisable command, wherein the minimal-function state is configured toallow re-enabling at least some of the disabled portions or operationsof the detection component in response to the command being a re-enablecommand.
 16. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing theoutput to the operator of the welding system by generating signals foroutput via one or more of: display elements, vibration elements, andaudio transducers.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein detecting themotion of the appendage of the operator further comprises using anaccessory device configured to be worn by the operator of the weldingsystem or otherwise disposed on the operator of the welding system,wherein the accessory device comprises at least a portion of each of thedetection component, the processing circuitry, and the feedbackcomponent.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein: an accessory device isused during said detecting of the motion of the operator; the accessorydevice is configured to be worn by, or otherwise disposed on, theoperator of the welding system; the accessory device comprises at leasta portion of one or more of the detection component, the processingcircuitry, or the feedback component; and the input comprises specifyingcharacteristics or parameters of the non-visual output via one or moreinput/output ports of the accessory device.
 19. The method of claim 11,wherein detecting, via the detection component, the motion of theappendage of the operator comprises detecting a first motion of theappendage corresponding to the command, and detecting a second motion ofthe appendage corresponding to a command confirmation.